**** Please note that the printed manual has many graphics of the
**** menus and data entry screens throughout it. These do not
**** translate to this straight ASCII text. If you follow along with
**** the program as you read this manual, you should have no problem
**** following the manual's text. Needless to say, when you register
**** the program, the printed manual you receive will have all the
**** graphics plainly printed. This is also why some of the pages
**** will seem very short, with the graphics they have a proper
**** length.
















C.A.R.S. USER MANUAL


























Version 2.5




(c) Copyright 1988-1991 Cybernetic Software
All rights reserved


Table of Contents


Welcome to C.A.R.S.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Cybernetic Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Definition of Shareware. . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Disclaimer - Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Correspondence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Ombudsman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Package. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The System Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Using C.A.R.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Two words of warning.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Menu Item Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Data Entry Fields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Mouse Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Starting the Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

The Main Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Category Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Opening a Car File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Add Car Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Expense Item Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Travel Log Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Edit Car Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

List Car Detail & Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Sort Car File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Appendix A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25


Welcome to C.A.R.S.

Welcome to C.A.R.S., the Complete Automobile Reporting System.
With this package, you can track your vehicle expenses over 26 user
defined categories, and watch your milage and costs. It allows for
the logging of business and/or personal trips. And, most
importantly, it provides totals for tax or accounting purposes.
C.A.R.S. will provide this facility for any number of vehicles, the
limiting factor is disk space.

Cybernetic Software

Cybernetic Software was formed in 1975. Originally, it provided
consulting and programming services for mainframe and mini-
computers. In the early 1980's, it incorporated microcomputers into
it's retinue of services.

(R)

Association of
Shareware
o Professionals

MEMBER

Definition of Shareware

Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before
buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it,
you are expected to register. Individual programs differ on
details. With registration, you get anything from the simple right
to continue using the software to an updated program with printed
manual. The benefits of registering this program, which is required
if used beyond a 30 day trial period, are listed below.

Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software. The
copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions
as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers,
just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable
quality. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The
main difference is in the method of distribution. The author
specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the software,
either to all and sundry or to a specific group. For example, some
authors require written permission before a commercial disk vendor
may copy their Shareware.

Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You
should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether
it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting
your needs easier, because you can try before you buy. And because
the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware has the
ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you
don't pay for it.

Disclaimer - Agreement

Users of C.A.R.S. must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
"C.A.R.S. is supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties,
expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties
of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author
assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which
may result from the use of C.A.R.S."

C.A.R.S. is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge to
the user for evaluation. Please share it with your friends. But
you must not give it away altered or as part of another system. And
it must be the complete package. The essence of "user-supported"
software is to provide personal computer users with quality
software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for
programmers to continue to develop new products. If you find this
program useful and find that you are using C.A.R.S. and continue to
use C.A.R.S. after a reasonable trial period, you must make a
registration payment of $49(US) to Cybernetic Software. The
registration fee will license one copy for use on any one computer
at any one time. You must treat this software just like a book.
An example is that this software may be used by any number of
people and may be freely moved from one computer location to
another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one
location while it's being used at another. Just as a book cannot be
read by two different persons at the same time.

Commercial users of C.A.R.S. must register and pay for their copies
of C.A.R.S. within 30 days of first use or their license is
withdrawn. Site-License arrangements may be made by contacting
Cybernetic Software. (See below.)

Anyone distributing C.A.R.S. for any kind of remuneration must
first contact Cybernetic Software at the address below for
authorization.

This authorization will be automatically granted to distributors
recognized by the ASP as adhering to its guidelines for shareware
distributors, and such distributors may begin offering C.A.R.S.
immediately (However Cybernetic Software must still be advised so
that the distributor can be kept up-to-date with the latest version
of C.A.R.S.).

Registration

You are encouraged to pass a copy of C.A.R.S. along to your friends
for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their copy if
they find it useful. For the $49(US) registration fee users will
receive:

1. An up-to-date version of the program.

2. A printed and bound copy of the User Manual.

3. An 800 number for customer support.

4. Notification of improvements and enhancements.

5. One free future update at a time of your choice.

6. Further updates at the cost of $5.

7. For those who are not already members of
CompuServe, free membership and a $15 usage
credit. (This will give you another avenue of
support.)

Site licenses are available at the following rates.

2 copies.....................................$90.00
3 copies....................................$125.00
4 copies....................................$155.00
5 or more copies............................$175.00

With site licenses, you receive one manual per program copy. If
more than 5 copies of the manual are required, they will be
provided at a cost of $6 per manual.

Correspondence

Please! Write with your comments, questions, criticisms,
suggestions, and registrations to:

Cybernetic Software
P. O. Box 3594
Skokie, IL 60076 (USA)

Thank You.

Ombudsman

This program is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the
shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can
help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does
not provide technical support for members' products. Please write
to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send
a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman
70007,3536.

Introduction

The program is, I hope, self-explanatory. As I receive feed-back
from users, both registered and otherwise, I will enhance these
instructions as needed.

The Package

Included on this disk are the following files:

CARAVAN.CAR A sample data file. Use it to become familiar
with the system. List it. Modify it. Make
additions to it.

CARS.CTL A sample control file. It contains the
default categories into which your automobile
expenses are placed. It can be modified by
selecting "Category maintenance" from the main
menu.

CARS.DOC The file that you are now reading.

CARS.EXE The actual program that you will run. See
start-up instructions, below.

CARS.REG The registration and comments form. The
program will generate a registration form with
your information, if you desire.

EXPCHART A sample form for logging expenses.

The System Components


Now for a brief explanation of the workings of the two main
components of this system.

Categories

There can be up to 26 categories, labeled A through Z, kept in a
file, CARS.CTL, which can be updated from the category maintenance
selection of the Main Menu. There are seven predefined categories
that are supplied with the system: Accessories, Fees, Gas,
Insurance, Maintenance, Purchase, and Repairs. These have
purposely been given the same letter designation as their initial.
This is not mandatory, but you may find it is easier to remember
that way. You may add, change or delete from this group as you
choose. The one that refers to fuel, be it Gas, Petrol, Diesel,
Fuel, Motion-lotion, or Zoom-stuff, must be defined when you create
a car file. (More on this subject later.)

Car Files

Information on each vehicle is kept in a separate file. It is
called by a name of from 1 to 8 characters. When operating on a
specific car, the file must first be opened, or selected. Each
file has a descriptor record which contains a 25 character
description of the car, the category it will use for fuel, an
indicator of whether the odometer reading is in miles or
kilometers, and an indicator of whether the fuel is to be measured
in gallons, imperial gallons, or liters. (All of these items can
be changed in the data edit routines.)

Data in the car file is of two different types:

The first type is the expense record. This record contains the
odometer reading, date, category, cost and description of any
expense item. If the entry is for the purchase of fuel, it will
also contain the amount of fuel purchased and the cost per unit of
purchase.

The second type is the travel log. This record contains the
odometer reading and date for the start of any trip, an indicator
to tell if the trip was business or pleasure, the number of miles
for the trip, and a brief description. As with the descriptor
record, any item in the data record can be changed in the edit
routines.
Using C.A.R.S.

Important Information

Two words of warning.

First: There is a data processing principle, "garbage in, garbage
out." The numbers that this program will report to you will only
be as good as the data you supply to it. If you forget to make
entries, estimate figures, or enter erroneous data, the accuracy of
the report will suffer.

Warning number two: Nothing is as fleeting as data on a disk. Back
up your data files often. If possible, keep a copy of the files at
a different location. In addition, keep a printout of the latest
detail listing in a safe location. If all else fails, it can be
re-entered.

Menu Item Selection

Menu items can be selected by moving the cursor bar to the item
desired and pressing the Enter Key or by pressing the "hot" key.
The up and down arrows () will move the scroll bar on all menus
except the Register/Program menu, which uses the left and right
arrows (). The "hot" key, usually the first letter of the menu
selection, is highlighted on each of the menu items.

Data Entry Fields

At various points in the program, you will be presented with forms
for entering or modifying data. Within the fields you can insert,
delete, or overtype. The left arrow () and right arrow () will
move you within the field. The up arrow () and back tab (|) will
move to the previous field, the down arrow () and the tab(|) will
take you to the next field.

Mouse Support.

If the program senses the presence of a mouse driver, you can use
the mouse for menu selection and data entry. For menu selection
just move the mouse to the item you want to choose and click the
left button. To move to a specific field on a data screen, point
the mouse at the target field and click the left button. Clicking
the right button is the same as pressing the Esc key.

Starting the Program

To start the program, CARS.EXE must be in the current directory,
any directory defined within the PATH variable, or the drive and
directory may be explicitly stated. Type in:

[d:][path]CARS [car_name]

The [car_name] portion of the command is optional. If used, it
tells the system which car file to open first, instead of the
default (if any).

If you are using a registered version of C.A.R.S., you can proceed
to the section on the Main Menu. You will not see the next screen.
If you are using an unregistered version of the program, the first
menu allows you to either go through the registration form fill-in
procedure, or on to the main program.

To fill-in a registration form and either print it or place it on
disk, press R or, if you haven't moved the cursor, press Enter.
This will bring up the Registration Form.

Fill in the appropriate data. If you entered P in the Print/Disk
field, you will be given a choice of printing on PRN, LPT1, LPT2,
COM1, or COM2 as the destination. Pick the selection that is
correct for your system. If you entered a D, you will be asked to
supply the drive and file name in which to place an image of the
registration form. The file name can, if necessary, include the
path.

When the form is completed, you will be taken back to the first
menu. The cursor will have moved to the Program selection. Press
either the P or Enter key to move on to the main menu.

The Main Menu

The first time you come into the Main Menu, the program looks for
the CARS.CTL control file. If it cannot be found, it will first
issue a warning message, (press any key to continue), then allow
you to either change the drive and directory that you are in,
create a new control file, or exit the program.


The program will next go to open a car file. If you typed in the
name of one on the CARS command line, or if there is a default car,
it will open this file, then go to the main menu.

If you did not enter a file name and there is no default, or the
file typed in is not present, the program will proceed to the Open
Car File menu (described below.) The main menu gives you a choice
of several actions. It also shows, above the menu, which file is
currently open, or if one has not yet been opened.

Main Menu Item Description

(A)dd car data: Choose this selection to add new information to an
existing, open car file. It will take you to a screen where you
will be prompted for all the pertinent data needed to create a new
transaction record.

(C)ategory maintenance: This selection will display a chart of all
possible categories, and allow you to add new ones, change the
definition of those already established, or delete unwanted
categories. This is also where you specify a default car file for
program start-up. The control file is always open, separate and
apart from the car file.

(E)dit car data: Use this selection to correct any information in
the car file, either on a description record or on a transaction
record.

(L)ist car detail and summary: This selection will list the
transaction records and/or produce a summary of all that has
transpired. The output can go to the screen, printer, both, or
neither.

(O)pen a car file: With this choice, a list of all car files, if
any, that reside in the current directory, is displayed. You are
given the option of changing the drive and/or the directory,
creating a new file, opening an existing file, or returning to the
main menu. You will be able to tell the open was successful by the
open file indicator above the main menu. Choosing this selection
will close the current car file.

(S)ort car file: To produce detail and summary lists correctly, you
must have the data sorted by odometer reading. In most cases you
will be adding data as it occurs, and the sort will be unnecessary.
Occasionally, when data is entered out of odometer order, you will
have to sort the file to regain odometer order.

E(x)it program: You've finished with your work, leave the program.

Category Maintenance

When you choose this selection, the catalog maintenance form will
display the categories as they currently exist and the name of the
default car.


You may move from field to field using the keyboard, as described
in Using C.A.R.S. or to go directly to a category, by holding the
ALT key down while pressing the category code (A-Z). You can go
directly to the Default Car field by pressing the F10 key.

Once you have pressed Enter key in the Default Car field the data
will be saved. To leave the screen without saving the data, press
the Esc Key.

Opening a Car File


This option will first tell you what your default drive and
directory are, and display all available .CAR files that exist
there in alphabetical order.

If there is more then one screen's worth of .CAR files, you can go
forward or backward through the screens using the Page Up and Page
Down keys.

You may move around the .CAR files by using all the arrow keys.

You can jump to a file that begins with a specific letter by
pressing that letter on the keyboard. If there is more than one
file with the same first letter, continued pressing of that letter
will move down the list of those files.

If you wish to change drive and/or directory, just press the Esc
key, and you will receive the following added menu.



(C)hange drive and/or directory. You are presented with a data
entry box to supply the drive and directory desired. If the drive
you enter does not exist on your system, you will remain on your
current drive. If the directory name you enter is not valid, you
remain in the default directory.

(E)xit Program. This will allow you to exit and determine why the
files you thought were in this directory aren't there.

(N)ew Car File. This selection will create a new file in the
current directory. (See below for information on how to enter
information for a new .CAR file.)

(R)eturn to main menu.


Enter a 1 to 25 character description of the vehicle.

Enter a 1 to 8 character name which will be used for the data file
that you are creating. This field will only accept valid DOS file
name characters. Examples of valid names are: MUSTANG, 88CHEVY,
GO_CART, etc. (The program will add the .CAR extension.)

Enter a category, A-Z, which will denote a fuel purchase.

Enter the default method of measuring fuel. The choices are (US)
Gallons, Imperial gallons, or Liters.

Indicate whether the odometer reading is in Miles or Kilometers.

All of these items, except the file name, can be changed from the
Edit Data menu. (The file name can be changed with the DOS RENAME
command.)

Add Car Data

When add item is selected, the program must be told to add either
an expense item or a travel log. This appears as the sub-menu shown
above.
If expense item is select, you will receive this data entry screen:

Expense Item Entry

Enter the odometer reading, date, category, and cost, and a
description of the transaction. If this was a fuel purchase you
enter the method of measurement for the purchase, and either the
amount of fuel purchased, or the price per unit of fuel. Whichever
of these last two that you enter, the other is calculated.

Note: Cybernetic Software is aware of the requirement to allow the
user to enter the date as either month/day/year or day/month/year.
The ability to do so is scheduled to be a part of the package by
the end of 1991. However, in the meantime, it is required that the
date be entered as month/day/year. We apologize for the
inconvenience.

Finally, you review the information, and either accept it, by
typing a 'Y' (default), or reject it, by typing a 'N'.
If travel log entry was select, the follow data entry screen
appears:

Travel Log Entries

For travel log entries, you enter the odometer reading and date, as
with an expense item. (The odometer reading is from the start of
the trip.) Then enter either Business or Pleasure. Then you may
enter either the ending odometer reading or the number of
miles/kilometers traveled. Again, whichever is entered, the other
is calculated. And, finally, a description, up to 20 characters, of
the travel

Note: Cybernetic Software is aware of the requirement to allow the
user to enter the date as either month/day/year or day/month/year.
The ability to do so is scheduled to be a part of the package by
the end of 1991. However, in the meantime, it is required that the
date be entered as month/day/year. We apologize for the
inconvenience.

Review the information, and either accept it, by typing a 'Y'
(default), or reject it, by typing a 'N'.

Edit Car Data

WARNING! If you change the odometer reading of a record, it is most
likely that you will have to sort the file.




(C)ategory will search for records within a specified category. It
will present the Expense/Travel sub-menu. If expense, you will be
asked which category. The file will then be searched and the first
record matching that category will be presented for update, using
the same data entry screen as when an expense record is added. If
travel is picked, then you will be asked Business or Pleasure.
Again, after the information is supplied, a search of the file is
conducted.

In both cases, after the record is updated, or left unchanged, a
menu will appear asking if the search should be continued for other
records in that category. Otherwise, the user is returned to the
Edit Menu.

(D)escription will take the user to the description record for the
.CAR file, using the same data entry screen as when creating a new
file, except the file name which cannot be changed. (See Opening a
Car File.)

If you choose to change the category for fuel, the program will
offer to go through the file changing all records of the former
category to the newer one.

If you change the method of measurement, the program will offer to
adjust the price per unit of existing fuel records, which in turn
adjusts the number of units purchased.

It is strongly recommended that, in both these cases, you allow the
program to do the alterations.

(N)ext Record will bring up the record following the current one in
the file and present it for viewing or editing.

(O)dometer will request an odometer reading to use to search for a
record. After the record has been updated, or left unchanged, you
will have the option of looking for more records with that odometer
reading or to return to the Edit Menu. If no record with the
specified reading is found, the user is returned to the Edit Menu.

(P)revious Record will obtain the record in front of the current
record and present it for editing or viewing.

(R)ecord Number will retrieve the record with a specified number.
Record numbers can be obtained from List Detail and Summary off of
the Main Menu.

E(x)it returns you to the Main Menu.

List Car Detail & Summary

Warning! The detail can be listed at any time. HOWEVER, there must
be at least two (2) fuel purchases to get the summary data.

When you select this option you will be asked if you want expense
entry or travel log items listed.

If expense entry items are selected, you must fill in the following
options for the report generator.



If a complete report is desired, enter C, otherwise enter P to
specify the beginning and ending months for the report period.
If partial is selected, the following screen will request the
beginning and ending months for the report, the default is the
current month for both.



The detail listing can be routed to the Screen, the Printer, Both,
or Neither. The same options are available for the summary listing,
as well.

The selection for Travel records is essentially the same, except
that you must also specify whether the records to be listed are
Business, Pleasure, or All.

Sort Car File

Occasionally data will not be entered in odometer order, or the
sequence may be lost due to an edit on a record. For whatever
reason, when the file is out of sequence, it must be sorted.

The program will attempt to do an in-memory sort, for speed. If
there is not enough room for a memory sort, then a disk sort is
done.

Appendix A

The following pages are model expense sheets and travel logs that

you might keep in your vehicle(s) to note expenses, or travel, as
they occur. You are welcome to make copies of these four charts for
that purpose. (Please remember that this manual is copyrighted, and
that permission has not been granted to copy any other parts of
this manual.
The Complete Automobile Reporting System - Expense Log

Odometer Date CatCostPriceDescription











































The Complete Automobile Reporting System - Expense Slips

The Complete Automobile Reporting System

Odometer: Date / / Cost:

Cat: Price: Desc:



The Complete Automobile Reporting System

Odometer: Date / / Cost:

Cat: Price: Desc:



The Complete Automobile Reporting System

Odometer: Date / / Cost:

Cat: Price: Desc:



The Complete Automobile Reporting System

Odometer: Date / / Cost:

Cat: Price: Desc:



The Complete Automobile Reporting System

Odometer: Date / / Cost:

Cat: Price: Desc:

The Complete Automobile Reporting System - Travel Log

Odometer Date Ending Od Description












































The Complete Automobile Reporting System - Travel Slips

The Complete Automobile Reporting System

Odometer: Date / / Bus. or Pl.:

Ending Od: Desc:



The Complete Automobile Reporting System

Odometer: Date / / Bus. or Pl.:

Ending Od: Desc:



The Complete Automobile Reporting System

Odometer: Date / / Bus. or Pl.:

Ending Od: Desc:



The Complete Automobile Reporting System

Odometer: Date / / Bus. or Pl.:

Ending Od: Desc:



The Complete Automobile Reporting System

Odometer: Date / / Bus. or Pl.:

Ending Od: Desc: